Dominic heard Edmund’s words and was so terrified that he slumped to the ground. With Edmund’s reputation and influence, his words alone signaled a death sentence for Dominic’s business in Jenaire city’s antique industry. No one would dare associate with him now, especially if it meant losing favor with Edmund.At that moment, Finn came rushing back inside, holding a gift box in his hands. "Ms. Hemsworth, is this the Veiled Lady sculpture you were looking for?"Jean glanced at the gift box, recognizing the sculpture as the one she had ordered. Apparently, this was the real piece, identical to the fake Dominic had tried to pass off.It became clear what had happened: the genuine sculpture had arrived earlier but caught Finn's eye, and Dominic had sold it to him for a hefty sum of ten million dollars. He then crafted a fake version to sell to Jean, leading to today’s entire ordeal.Finn, oblivious to the backstory, simply saw something he liked, purchased it, and tossed it into his c
Finn paused, clearly confused. "What do you mean?"Jean gave a sly smile. "Just wait right here."Watching her smile, Finn felt his heart melt and simply nodded, captivated. Before long, Jean came back, this time holding the Ronan sculpture and the golden horse sculpture in her hands.She presented them to Finn and said, "These statues come in a set of three. If you're gifting them, you have to give all three. Only giving one leaves out the rest."Finn was thrilled, taking it as a signal that Jean liked him too by gifting him something right after meeting for the first time.He took the sculptures with a goofy grin. "Thank you!"Jean merely smiled and extended her hand. "You're welcome! That'll be 40 million dollars."Finn looked bewildered. "What's that?"With an indignant glare, Jean replied, "For the two sculptures, of course! Did you think I was giving them to you for free? Are you not ashamed to expect that?"Frederick stifled a laugh. Jean had managed to turn the two scu
"Frederick is indeed impressive," Jean declared firmly.Finn, however, scoffed and didn’t buy it, sneering as he turned to Frederick. "Alright then, let’s see if you can appraise the antiques I’m wearing. Go ahead and show me what you’ve got."Frederick glanced at Finn and felt it wasn’t worth his time to engage with a spoiled rich kid who was clueless about antiques. He had seen plenty of rich kids such as Wade and Wynne, but none quite as oblivious as Finn.Yet Jean, full of energy and unwilling to let it go, encouraged him eagerly, “Come on, show him up! Prove it and make him eat his words!”Taking this as a challenge, Finn showed his pocket watch with a flourish and handed it over to Frederick. “Alright then, tell me which era this pocket watch is from.”Frederick barely gave the pocket watch a glance before covering his mouth in mock surprise. "Oh, wow! If I’m not mistaken, this must be an antique from the year 2023.”Finn stared in confusion, fiddling with his fingers as he
Finn froze, his face shifting instantly as he quickly turned to the antique dealer. “Is he telling the truth?”The dealer, already disturbed by Finn’s antics, nodded reluctantly. “Yes, he’s right.”Finn had only asked if the coin was an antique, which, indeed, it was. But it was traditionally used for ceremonial purposes during burial rituals.Ancient customs required meticulous preparation of a body for burial, especially for nobles, and involved sealing every orifice. The shape of this coin clearly indicated it was meant to be inserted into the mouth of a deceased.As the dealer confirmed this, Finn hurled the coin away and, like a man possessed, stormed toward the Treasure Hall.“You’re dead! Selling me a piece meant for the dead… we’re settling this now!”He couldn’t care less that the pocket watch was a fake. What set him off was learning that his authentic coin had been used as burial paraphernalia.Finn charged into the shop, only to be tossed back out moments later. He l
Frederick and Jean walked around twice without finding a suitable gift for Jean's father.Frederick didn't want to browse around anymore and glanced at the "Pilgrim's Journey of Windmere" in his hands."Why not give this to your dad as a gift?"Jean's eyes widened in shock when she heard about it, as she knew that "Pilgrim's Journey of Windmere" was a priceless treasure.Even with her family's background, it was not something that could easily be purchased, yet Frederick intended to gift it to her father."You're giving such an expensive item to my dad?"Frederick smiled slightly and said, "What's the big deal? Didn't you also gift me a $30 million sports car?"Besides, this was originally covered by your two million deposit, so I believe it rightfully belongs to you."Jean was very pleased to hear this. She came from a well-connected family and knew many wealthy young men, who wouldn't think twice about giving her gifts worth millions.However, when it came to a national trea
Frederick acted without much thought, reaching out with his hand to grab the two sharp knives that were being swung at Jean.Frederick firmly held the back of the knife, and just then, another sharp knife was swung toward him. As the blade came close to him, he subtly moved to the side, allowing the sharp knife to graze past his head without harm.Frederick applied a strong force, and both of their half-broken knives snapped again, leaving only the handles in their hands.The remaining tough guy was sent flying by a powerful kick from Frederick.The boss glanced at the knife handle in his hand, realized he'd gotten himself into serious trouble, and was so scared that he dropped it.At that moment, Frederick was getting ready to approach the three people to find out more about them.Jean stopped Frederick and, looking quite worried, said, "Hold on, Frederick. If you end up hurting someone, you'll have to face legal consequences."Frederick paused for a moment, puzzled about what
The boss grinned menacingly upon hearing that Frederick was absent. Did a mere girl dare to come and mess with his shop?He had made up his mind to give Jean a harsh lesson, and then he planned to sell the store."Damn, you actually dare to mess with my shop? You really have no idea who you're dealing with!"Just as the boss called for two strong men to take action, Jean wiped away her smile and spoke coldly."You dare to trick me and then try to rob me? You must not know who you're dealing with."Jean let out a loud whistle, cutting through the noise in the lively antique marketplace.The sound of shoes hitting the ground echoed in unison as dozens of people wearing sunglasses and black suits emerged from all directions. Leading them was Jonah.Jean just used her smartwatch to contact Jonah while in the underground parking lot. Jonah was already waiting nearby with his team.They were just waiting for Jean's signal!Jean waved her hand and commanded everyone, "Beat him up har
On the other hand, Frederick stored both the spearhead and the wooden Saint George statue inside his spirit ring. Naturally, when there were a lot of people around, Frederick wouldn't show off this treasure, which could store items.The spearhead and the Noblewoman painting were both items Frederick set his sights on; after all, one was needed for an evil power, while the other was incredibly valuable. As for the Saint George statue, Frederick only picked it up casually.Frederick initially planned to drive straight home but realized he had already been out all morning.Just as he was about to drive home, he received a call from Ivy.Ivy sounded really urgent on the phone. "Hey, Frederick, do you have a moment?"Frederick rarely heard Ivy sounding so urgent, so he thought something might have happened and quickly asked about it."What's wrong?"Ivy quickly said, "Frederick, do you have time to accompany me to the opening ceremony at my classmate's place?"Upon hearing this, Fre
Mary's case was the most severe, while Ivan's symptoms were the mildest, and Frederick could roughly deduce the sequence of transmissions among them. It was clear that Mary infected Nigel, who then passed it to Kimberly, then finally passed it to Ivan. Frederick also saw that Ivan was actually a decent person who unfortunately ended up being betrayed and infected. However, Nigel was primarily worried that Ivan might start trusting Frederick, as he wanted Ivan to believe in his capabilities to carry out his plan.Originally, he intended for Mary to insult Frederick for being poor and unskilled, but she ended up attacking him for having an unpleasant odor, which backfired when Frederick exposed her for contracting syphilis. Now, Nigel had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, he then said to Frederick, "Hehe, Frederick. We all know Ivy is a director, what exactly do you do to be worthy of her?"Nigel assumed that Frederick was just a low-level salesperson, something
Hearing Frederick's words, Kimberly jumped with joy and stopped crying. While wiping her tears, she pointed at Mary, laughing and said, "You're covered in syphilis, yet you're making fun of me.""Slut, I wonder how many people you've slept with!" After being pointed and insulted, Mary was furious and she was ready to fight Kimberly. "You bitch! I am going to teach you a lesson!" At this moment, Nigel felt terrible. If Mary was diseased, he'd be the first victim. He grabbed Mary and shouted, "Bitch, let me teach you a lesson first. Now I know why you always wanted the lights off! I thought you were shy, but you just didn't want me to find out."In a fit of anger, Nigel slapped Mary hard across the face. Just as Mary was about to explain, she was interrupted by another slap. Holding her face, she yelled angrily, "Nigel, how dare you hit me?! Do you want me to expose all your little schemes and tricks?"Nigel froze in horror; if Mary exposed him, it would have been disastrous.
Kimberly heard her laughter, and body odor had always been a sensitive issue for her; a wound she'd tried to cover up over the years. For Frederick to bring it up in front of everyone felt like rubbing salt into an open wound. Yet what hurt even more was Mary's laughter; as a fellow woman, it felt like salt to the wound, then roasting it. Kimberly was furious, pointed at Mary and said, "What are you laughing at? Do you want me to come over there and shut you up?"Mary felt wronged, she had only let out a reflexive laugh, but now Kimberly's anger was directed at her. "Did I laugh at you? What proof do you have that I laughed at you?""You're the one with body odor, yet you're taking it out on others. You're such an unreasonable woman!"Kimberly grew even angrier after hearing Mary's retort. "You're the one with body odor, your whole family has it!" "Look at what you're wearing, it's like you just threw on two pillowcases. You're a shameless woman, just trying to show off t
When everyone heard Ivy's words, they laughed even more. Her words effectively confirmed that Frederick did indeed have an unpleasant odor. It wasn't entirely her fault as Kimberly's words had been a bit of a trap. "Haha, if you smell, just take a shower and don't embarrass yourself here.""With all that cheap stuff on, no wonder he has a smell."Hearing this, Frederick simply gave a slight smile and then asked Mary and Kimberly, "Are two really that fragrant?"Mary and Kimberly lifted their heads proudly after hearing Frederick's words. "Why don't you ask everyone here, ask them if we smell good or not?""Exactly, go ahead and ask."Both of them considered themselves beautiful, and of course, they would smell pleasant. The men around them quickly chimed in, especially those eager to admire Mary, who was dressed in a way that gave them a bit of eye candy. "Of course, they smell good. How could these two beautiful ladies not smell good?""Hehe, Frederick with his cheap, th
In a hidden corner, Nigel said to Mary, "Damn it, that bumpkin Frederick keeps stealing my spotlight. I am worried that our plan won't go well later.""You should help me humiliate him properly, and Ivan's girlfriend will back you up."Mary pursed her lips and said to Nigel, "Every time something comes up, you just ask me to handle it. My bag hasn't been bought yet, and you've lost 300 thousand dollars"Although Nigel was annoyed by Mary hitting a sore spot, he kept his tone calm and replied, "Help me humiliate Frederick and talk him down in front of Ivan. After that, leave the rest to me. Once it's done, I'll get you more than one bag, I could get you ten bags and it wouldn't be a problem. I don't care about that small amount of money. You saw that Porsche just now, right? I wouldn't mind burning it if I had to." Hearing this, Mary was delighted and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, babe." She hadn't realized that Nigel was so wealthy and even had a Porsche. Up until th
Knowing Martin as someone who knew a lot about wood, everyone immediately looked as though they were ready for a good show. They were convinced that the Saint George statue couldn’t possibly be made of anything valuable.Martin let out a strange exclamation. "What the hell!"Kimberly, thinking that Martin was angry, quickly said, "Mr. Lawson, tell us what’s so disastrous about this wood. Are you saying it’s just a piece of junk?"Contrary to expectations, Martin replied angrily, "I’m saying that whoever preserved this Saint George statue was a jerk. This is genuine sandalwood, and yet it’s completely neglected, covered in dust."Most of the group had no idea what sandalwood was worth, but judging by the name alone, it sounded impressive.Kimberly asked curiously, "Mr. Lawson, are you saying this is really antique wood?"Martin examined the statue carefully, scrutinizing every detail. "Judging by the texture, this carving must have been made at least 150 years ago."Everyone was
"The Saint George statue was indeed a fitting choice for a karaoke." Nigel chuckled, turning to Ivy.“Why didn’t you just go on Amazon and buy a new one for a few dozen bucks? This one is obviously second-hand. Or was it picked up from some junk stall?”Frederick heard Nigel’s mockery and nodded in agreement, a faint smile on his lips. “You’re not wrong. This statue actually was picked up from a street stall.”“At the Treasure Hall in the antique trade market, no less. And yes, it’s an antique.”The truth was, the statue was from the Victorian era. Even the owner of Treasure Hall, Dominic, had recognized its age but dismissed it as worthless, tossing it onto a stall outside.Frederick had picked it up casually, thinking it would come in handy one day, and now it was the perfect gift for Ivan.Hearing this, Nigel burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. “An antique? Treasure Hall? You’re really trying to fool us.”Kimberly chimed in, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she glance
The group’s attention was fully captured by Frederick’s words, their eyes all on him. Nigel, knowing that Kimberly had informed Ivy at the last minute and that she likely didn’t have a gift, sneered at Frederick."Well, if you’ve got a gift, go ahead and show it.""Considering Ivy and Kimberly’s relationship, the gift should be pretty decent, right?"Everyone was now staring at Frederick with anticipation, curious to see what kind of gift he could produce.Ivy, on the other hand, was completely flustered. She hadn’t handed any gift to Frederick, though she understood he was trying to help her out of a tough spot. But wasn’t this making things even more awkward?Nigel continued to press him, "Where’s the gift? Come on, take it out already.""After all this time, you still can’t take it out. Don’t tell me you don’t even have one."Frederick glanced at Nigel with a calm smile. "Oh? Are you planning to bet 300 grand with me again?"Nigel froze. There was no way he had another 300 t
Ivan was deeply moved, feeling as though all the unpleasantness from their school days had been swept away. A sense of childhood nostalgia, unique to old classmates, welled up within him.The crowd continued to shower Nigel with praise, giving him thumbs up one after another."A gift worth 10 grand is no small amount. Nigel is truly generous.""That’s right. These days, even classmates hesitate to prepare gifts, but Nigel has shown such generosity.."Most of the attendees had come because of their connection with Kimberly. Each had prepared gifts with costs ranging from a few hundred dollars. Compared to Nigel’s grandiose gift worth 10 thousand, their contributions paled in comparison.Hearing the compliments, Nigel waved his hand dismissively, feigning modesty. "It’s nothing, really. After all, Ivan and I are good friends from way back."Then, Nigel’s expression shifted slightly as he added, "Speaking of good friends, I’m sure it’s not just me and Ivan here who share a special b